Malai Kofta Recipe

Malai kofta is a delicious Indian curry made by dunking deep-fried potato and paneer balls (kofta) in a rich velvety smooth gravy. Make perfect restaurant-style malai kofta using my tried and tested recipe. 2 styles of gravy included in the post.

4.79 from 14 votes

Malai kofta is a delicious Indian curry made by dunking deep-fried potato and paneer balls (kofta) in a rich velvety smooth gravy. Make perfect restaurant-style malai kofta using my tried and tested recipe. 2 styles of gravy included in the post.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

Ingredients

For the kofta

1 teaspoon crushed cashew nuts
1 teaspoon grated dry coconut
1 teaspoon chopped raisins
6 ounces paneer 170 g, grated
¼ cup boiled, peeled and grated potatoes make sure to cool them after boiling
1 tablespoons poha soaked in 2 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon finely chopped green chili peppers
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste
¼ teaspoon garam masala spice mix
3 tablespoons cornstarch divided
vegetable oil for frying

For the white gravy

1 cup chopped onion
½ cup whole cashew nuts
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 cloves
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 whole green cardamoms
2 whole bay leaves
¼ cup crumbled khoya
2-3 green chili peppers slit into half
salt to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ cup plain yogurt whisked with 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Kasuri methi
½ teaspoon white pepper powder
¼ cup heavy cream

For the tomato gravy

2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 cloves
4-5 whole peppercorns
2 whole black cardamoms
1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
4 tablespoons tomato puree or 2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
2 tablespoons cahsew paste soak 15-20 cashew nuts in water for 15 minutes and blend until smooth.
1 cup milk preferably whole milk.
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon honey
salt to taste
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons kasuri methi

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Instructions

Preparation for malai kofta

Crush the cashew nuts in a mortar and pestle, grate the dried coconut using the small hole of a box grater, and chop the raisins.
2. Grate the paneer using the medium hole of a box grater. If using homemade paneer, crumble it with your fingers.
3. Boil the potatoes and refrigerate them for a few hours. You can boil them in a pot, in a traditional pressure cooker, or instant pot.
4. Chop onion, ginger, garlic, cilantro and green chilli peppers.
5. Gather the remaining ingredients.

Make the kofta

To make the filling, mix together crushed cashew nuts, grated dried coconut and chopped raisins in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Combine grated paneer, boiled, peeled, cooled and grated potatoes, poha (soaked in 2 tablespoon water for 10 mins), grated ginger, finely chopped green chili pepper, finely chopped cilantro, salt to taste, garam masala spice mix, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a medium mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients well using your fingers until they come together.
Take a lime size portion of the paneer mixture and slightly flatten it in between your palms.
Keep a teaspoon of filling that we made earlier in the center and bring the ends together to make a smooth ball. You can also shape the kofta in pear shape (conical) as I did.
Make all the kofta in the same manner.
Roll the kofta in 2 tablespoon cornstarch and set aside. Rolling them in dry cornstarch will create a coating around them and there are fewer chances of them breaking down while frying. It also makes them crispier.
Heat 3-4 cups of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet and fry the koftas on medium-high heat till golden brown (8-10 minutes).
Remove on a tissue lined plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.

Make the white gravy

Heat 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add chopped onion, cashew nuts, chopped ginger, and chopped garlic in boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Drain the water and add the cooked onion and cashews to a blender.
Add ¼ cup cold water and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Heat vegetable oil and butter (salted or unsalted) in a skillet over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot add cloves, cinnamon, whole green cardamoms, and whole bay leaves and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Add the onion and cashew paste to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on low heat. Cover the skillet if the paste is spluttering too much.
Now add crumbled khoya and green chili peppers (slit into half) and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add salt to taste, sugar, yogurt whisked with flour, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Note – Whisking the yogurt with flour prevents it from curdling when heated.
Add crushed Kasuri methi, white pepper powder and 1 cup water and bring the curry to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Finally, add heavy cream and mix well. Add some milk if the gravy is too thick and adjust for salt. Bring to a simmer and remove the skillet from heat.
Note – You can now pass the gravy through a fine-mesh strainer if you want it extra smooth and velvety.
Add the kofta to the gravy just before serving and serve hot.

Make the tomato gravy

Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add cloves, whole black peppercorns, whole black cardamoms, and cinnamon stick and fry for 20 seconds.
Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Now add tomato puree and tomato ketchup and fry for another minute. Add cashew nut paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, and milk and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Lastly, add heavy cream, honey, salt, lime juice, and Kasuri methi and cook for a minute. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding water and cook till the mixture comes to a boil.
Add the koftas to the gravy and give it a boil. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Video

Notes

While cooking the potatoes, make sure that you do not overcook them. If they turn soggy or too soft, the kofta will not turn crisp. Also, make sure to cool the potatoes completely before using them.

I like to add a little poha along with cornstarch as it helps in binding and also gives the kofta a very crispy texture. You can choose to skip it and increase the quantity of cornstarch.

I have stuffed the kofta with a combination of nuts and dried coconut. The stuffing is totally optional though.

Pass the gravy through a fine-mesh strainer to make it silky smooth and creamy.

The quantity of cornstarch is important to make perfect koftas. If it's less the koftas will break while frying and if it's more, they will turn out hard and doughy.

The oil for frying should be nicely hot before adding the kofta. If not, they will stick to the bottom of the skillet. Fry on medium-high heat.

Always test fry one kofta to start with. If it fries perfectly, then add the remaining to the hot oil. If they are disintegrating while frying, add some more cornstarch to the mixture and then fry.

Do not overcrowd the pan while frying them. Fry in batches if needed.

Add in the kofta to the gravy only at the time of serving. This way they will not dissolve in the gravy.

This recipe makes 7-8 koftas and 2 koftas are good per serving. You can easily double or triple this recipe if making it for a gathering.

Nutrition